Apparatus for cracking oil



' April 16, 1935.

OIL TO BE CMCKED A. ci. SPENCER ET AL 1,998,402

1 APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Filed Aug. 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 liar/1D Hon TOR.

7-0 ZIZBLE t ALEXANDERC.SVE\(3"UW 0'65 ANO ER\C \J-Lu STER April 16, 1935. A, C CER ET AL 1,998,402

APPARATUS FOR CRACKING OIL Filed Aug. 11, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III-Ill Nw mK Q05 0 m I'I avwen cozs ALEXANBER C. SPENCER V I H mu T, mmkso h rqqmwmbm mm Emc \IJJ Luswsn ntlhew GMMW Patented Apr. 16, 1935 ,UNlTED STATES PAT NT OFFICE A I 1,998,402 APPARATUS FOR CRACKING 01L Alexander 0. Spencer, Ontario Province, Canada,

. and Eric W. Luster, Westfield, N. J., assignors I to Standard Oil Development Company, New ,York, N. Y., acorporation of Delaware Application August 11, 1927, Serial No.212,2ss

1 Claim. (01. 196- 104 This invention relates to improvements in methods and apparatus'for cracking hydrocarbon oils and will be fully understood from the following description, read in connection with 5 the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. I is a diagrammatic side elevation of equipment embodying the'invention; and

Fig. II is a similar view of a continuation'of the equipment of Fig. I, and showing other features of the invention. 4

Referring to the drawings, reference numeral I denotes an elongated passageway or cracking coil installed in. a furnace setting 2' provided with burners 2a. Oil enters the coil at la, pref-- erably flowing first in section lb countercurrent with the combustion gases from the furnace, and then concurrent with these gases in section'lc. Y

The oil passesfromthe coil through a pipe 3 into one or the other of the large thermally-' insulated reaction chambers or soaking drums 4 and, 5. Branch pipes 6 and I, having valves 8 and 9, connect the pipe 3 with the drums 4 and 5, respectively. One drum will be in use while the other is being cleaned. Outlet pipes l0 and H convey the cracked product from the upper part of the drums to a discharge line I2. Pressure control valves l3 and I4 are installed in the outlet pipes. The cracked oil enters a separator I 5, preferably of the horizontal cylindrical type, from which the heavy tar is taken off through a line it from the bottom of the separator to a cooler H. An over-flow pipe l8 connects an accumulator IS with the separator l5. Vapors from the separator I 5 pass through pipes 20 to a second separator 2|, in which some condensate is formed, and entrained particles are removed from the vapors. Liquid oil flows from separator 28 through a pipe 22 to the pipe l2 leading to the separator l5. Pipe l2 preferably has a perforated discharge portion extending along the bottom of separator l5 and the junction of pipes 22 and I2 is preferably made with an eductor I2.

Pipes 23 carry vapors from the separator l5 to heat exchange equipment, which may comprise three series-connectedunits 24, each receiving a cooling medium, such as the oil fed to the cracking coil, from a pipe 25, in which a pump 25 is installed. Valve controlled by-pass lines 25 lead from pipe 25, or other source of.

cooling fluid, to coils 21 in the heat exchangers 24. Condensate formed in the exchangers passes through pipe 28 to accumulator i9. Uncondensed vapors flow. through a pipe 29 to an intermediateportion of a fractionating column or bubble tower'3il, Fig. 2. A vapor line 3| from the accumulator l9 also discharges into tower 30, adjacent theoutlet of pipe 29.

Fractionated vapors from tower '30 areconveyed by a pipe-32 to thefirst of aseries ofheat exchangers 33, 34', and 35. These exchangers are provided with valve controlled by-pass lines 36 connected'to a feed oil line 31 which discharges intoaccumulator 0 l9. Condensates formedin theseveral exchangers 33, 34, and 35, are separately returned to tower 30 through pipes 38, 39, and 40. Condensate may betak'en off from the bottom of'tower 30' through a pipe 4|, in" which a pump is installed, to a heating coil 43 arranged in cracking coil, setting 2. The heated condensate is returned througha pipe 44 to the intermediate portion of tower. 30. Condensatemay. also be run .into the" accumulator I9 through pipe am. All the pipe lines conveying hot oil are suitably insulated.

The vapors leaving condenser 35 7 pass through a pipe 45 to the middle portion of a second fractionating tower 46, which is equipped at the top with a heat exchanger 41. Vapors pass from tower 46 through a pipe 48 into heat exchanger 41, and condensate formed therein is returned through a pipe 49 to the upper part of tower 46. Condensate from the tower is taken off through a pipe 50 in which a pump 5! is installed, to a heating coil 52 in cracking coil setting 2. The heated condensate goes through a pipe 53 to an intermediate part of tower 45.

Towers 393 and 45 are preferably provided with bell cap plates 54 and baffle plates 55, arranged as shown; Heat exchanger 41 is supplied with cooling fluid through lay-pass lines 55 connected to pipe 31, or other source of cooling fluid. Baflies 51 are set vertically in the bottoms of the towers, so as to divide them into two chambers.

To, permit accurate control of temperature in the heat exchangers 35 and 4?, it is desirable to provide auxiliary cooling means for the last stages of condensation in such exchangers.

This control may be effected by use of a special body of heat exchange liquid circulated through a closed system including a pipe 58, communicating with coils 59 and 60 in heat exchangers 35 and 41, respectively, through valved by-pass lines 6| and 52. Vapors from exchanger 41 pass through a pipe 63 to a cooling coil 64 and thence through a pipe 65 to a gasoline receiving drum 65, which has the usual gas vent 61 and draw-01f line 68. A pressure control valve 61a is installed in pipe 61.

Condensate from tower 46 is withdrawn through a pipe 59 to a cooler 10 and thence through a pipe ll into a receiving drum 12. This has a gas vent 13 and a draw-off line 14 leading to a tank 15 containing the oil to be cracked. The pipe 13 has a pressure control valve 13a.

A pump 16 forces the oil from tank J5 through pipe 31 and. intosaccumulator IS. The fresh feed oil, mixed'with condensate, is withdrawn from the accumulator through pipe and is for warded by pump 25' to the cracking coil Lon its way passing through exchangers :24,as-previ ously described.

While the equipment is designed to be -used with a variety of stocks to be cracked, :forillustration a run with a mixture of equal parts of fresh oil and condensate from the bubbletowers will be described.

The accumulator i9 is charged with fresh .oil from tank 15 and pipe 3'! before starting "the operation. Oilis then pumped through line 2-5 :from theaccumulator into the cracking coil 1, which :is'firedtorimparta temperature of about 875 F. to the oil.at=the exit of the'coil. The'hot, partially cracked oil passes from the coil into rdrum kinuwhichthe oilremains for a considerabletime, the temperature in the drumtbeing about-825 Thexpressure in the coil isheld'at aboutiQU Odbssper: square inch and in the drum. at aboutr'lfidlbs. i-Pressurefisreleased at the-valve Ftfl'to.about-fiolbsgper square inch, at whichpressurezthevremainder of the system is operated. i'lhisrpressure is .heldtbyregulation of the valves i610 andz't3a onthe outlet lines Bi and 13. By

:means of :the .preheating arrangement shown,

-'(iexchangerst:24,i33, 34, :35, ;:and 41),. ,xthe fresh oil acquires a temperature :of about 600 Fjbefore it enterss'theaco'il -.l

'An izimportant advantage of :the "invention 113 shown, the process can be operated to produce only-gasolinacoke, and gas.

line are good.

"Various changes and alternative procedures maybe adopted within the scope of the appended claim, "in which it is our intention to claim all noveltyinherent inthe invention as broadly as the: prior art. permits.

We claim: In tube'and drum apparatus for the cracking of. oil, the.improvement which comprises a separator connected toreceivethe hot cracked:prod

uct from the drum, pipes .for separately :with drawing vapors and tar from the'separator, "heat exchange means .fOI condensing heavier vapors "by indirect cooling, anaccumulator,,i'neansiior conveying the condensed heavier vapors to the accumulator, 'a fractionating tower, apipe for conveying vapors from the heatcxchange means to the fractionating tower, a'pipe :for conveying condensate from the fractionating towerto the accumulator, means for condensing a vaporous product of the fractionation, a pipe forsupplying .iresh oil to bevcracked to the accumulator, and ..a;pipe forconveying vthe mixed'oilsfrom the :ac-

oumulator to the tube and drum cracking equip ment.

ALEXANDER C. SPENCER. ERIC W. :LUSTER.

The yields of gaso- 

